It may be too late for me

[SeanHills63]

Hi, I'm new to SDN.
Basically, I've been doing the predental process....alone. I'm studying DAT Bootcamp right now to prepare to take the DAT in November. My advisors have responded to all my dental related questions with "check the websites."

I am an URM (I guess that's the term around here). I transferred to a new school after my sophomore year ended and abandoned everything comfy to save some cash and go in-state (Connecticut).

I don't really like science...at all, and feel like it is a means to an end, which is dental school. I've been sheltered my whole life so I never had any hobbies! but during undergrad I did join some clubs and a small fraternity. At this new school however, nothing of note interests me in terms of clubs.
My GPA so far is a 3.2. Every BIO course I've ever taken I got a B or mostly B-. Took gen chem last semester and got a B+.

I don't know how they'll accept the credits that transferred in a dental school but I'm at a dead end here. I don't want to waste a year to wait for 2015 but it may be too late for me to do otherwise.

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[Jbrowndds]

Are you lacking the drive? I think you need to take a year off to study and do some traveling. It will help you get back on track and get motivated. I took a year off and went to a technical college and got a certificate in dental assisting. I brushed up on my study skills, researched dental school requirements, and got some dental experience. That was my personal experience. All I'm saying is a year may be good for you.

 

[Papasmurf1234]

Hi, I'm new to SDN.
Basically, I've been doing the predental process....alone. I'm studying DAT Bootcamp right now to prepare to take the DAT in November. My advisors have responded to all my dental related questions with "check the websites."

I am an URM (I guess that's the term around here). I transferred to a new school after my sophomore year ended and abandoned everything comfy to save some cash and go in-state (Connecticut).

I don't really like science...at all, and feel like it is a means to an end, which is dental school. I've been sheltered my whole life so I never had any hobbies! but during undergrad I did join some clubs and a small fraternity. At this new school however, nothing of note interests me in terms of clubs.
My GPA so far is a 3.2. Every BIO course I've ever taken I got a B or mostly B-. Took gen chem last semester and got a B+.

I don't know how they'll accept the credits that transferred in a dental school but I'm at a dead end here. I don't want to waste a year to wait for 2015 but it may be too late for me to do otherwise.

A big part of growing up is knowing how to be resourceful. Everyone goes through the "pre-dental" process alone. I found everything I needed to know on this site/google/peers. If you don't like the sciences I don't know what to tell you. From what I hear dental school is undergrad on steroids.

A lot of people want to be doctors but only a few will actually become one because the rest don't want to put the work in. The choice is yours and yours only. If you want it bad enough, you'll get it.

 

[hwelch]

Join your predental society - people have done this before you (and will do it after you) and you can ask them for advice (and give advice later).

 

[LogOff]

Hi, I'm new to SDN.

I don't really like science...at all, and feel like it is a means to an end, which is dental school.

What is it about dentistry that appeals to you?

 

[SeanHills63]

What is it about dentistry that appeals to you?

Nothing really jumps out, but I feel it is something I would mechanically be able to do. I really can't imagine doing anything else; not because I love it a lot, but because I haven't really thought about any other professions.

I wouldn't want to waste your time so complete honesty is the best policy here: I took all the hard courses in high school, AP Physics, English, calculus, and somehow managed a 3.3GPA despite barely surviving math (C- every year for all four years). Took the ACT - 27. Took the SAT 2000+. Applied to schools, but the guidance counselor didn't really send out any of them.

Rushed an application to a school I never visited and took the prerequisite courses. In the midst of all this I just took Biology as my major, assuming since I took monster courses my whole life, this was the next step.

I am not really excited for, anything. Nothing jumps out. Some people have a calling, or reasoning. Maybe they Love animals, research, the outdoors, helping others et cetera. I have none if that.

I have the mindset of a job. A job i think I may have the skills to do. A job I've been preparing for academically since I was 15. My only positive is that I need to be around people. Isolation drives me nuts. And I feel bad if I cannot help others.

If you were to ask me "why do you want to do denstistry", I'd say its a dirty job, but I think I can do it.

 

[Slumber]

Basically, I've been doing the predental process....alone. .

Most of us here are also doing it "alone". Google is your friend, so is SDN.

If you were to ask me "why do you want to do denstistry", I'd say its a dirty job, but I think I can do it.

Well, have you ever shadowed a dentist to see if dentistry is really the right career path for you? And you better come up with a better answer if you ever get interviews.

 

[LogOff]

Nothing really jumps out, but I feel it is something I would mechanically be able to do. I really can't imagine doing anything else; not because I love it a lot, but because I haven't really thought about any other professions.

I wouldn't want to waste your time so complete honesty is the best policy here: I took all the hard courses in high school, AP Physics, English, calculus, and somehow managed a 3.3GPA despite barely surviving math (C- every year for all four years). Took the ACT - 27. Took the SAT 2000+. Applied to schools, but the guidance counselor didn't really send out any of them.

Rushed an application to a school I never visited and took the prerequisite courses. In the midst of all this I just took Biology as my major, assuming since I took monster courses my whole life, this was the next step.

I am not really excited for, anything. Nothing jumps out. Some people have a calling, or reasoning. Maybe they Love animals, research, the outdoors, helping others et cetera. I have none if that.

I have the mindset of a job. A job i think I may have the skills to do. A job I've been preparing for academically since I was 15. My only positive is that I need to be around people. Isolation drives me nuts. And I feel bad if I cannot help others.

If you were to ask me "why do you want to do denstistry", I'd say its a dirty job, but I think I can do it.

I'm really not one to promote the "passion" blah blah mindset. I would agree that a career is a "job" and not necessarily something that you have to "love".

However, you come off being really bland honestly. If you were to write your personal statement the way you just wrote this reply I would throw it in the garbage before I finished it.

There has to be something that you find exciting/interesting/motivating/whatever. Maybe it has nothing to do with dentistry. But whatever that is, somehow you need to link the attainment of that with the career of dentistry so that when you are killing yourself in dschool you know why.

There are tons of other careers out there if all you want is a job that pays enough to live semi-comfortably on. Dentistry from what I'm seeing is becoming increasingly challenging to thrive in because of saturation/political changes. Dental school is just the beginning and it looks like it's just going to get harder after that.

 

[deleted571579]

I hope you find answers to your questions. SDN seems to be a good resource. If you don't like science, why choose dentistry?

 

[dentalWorks]

"...I don't really like science..."
"...I've been sheltered my whole life so I never had any hobbies..."
"... not because I love it a lot, but because I haven't really thought about any other professions."
"...ask me "why do you want to do denstistry", I'd say its a dirty job, but I think I can do it. "

I am guessing you are trolling, cause I don't see anyway this to be a serious post.

 

[Bottle]

I think you need to pause and just think about yourself. Every job is dirty, just try to find a dirty job that interests you.

 

[SeanHills63]

Most of us here are also doing it "alone". Google is your friend, so is SDN.



Well, have you ever shadowed a dentist to see if dentistry is really the right career path for you? And you better come up with a better answer if you ever get interviews.

I've shadowed a general dentist and two orthodontists (more surgical). A lot of people had their wisdom teeth pulled. Most patients were cool about things, a few complained and asked too many questions against the explicit advice of the dentist. Overall, it was ok.

Haha I do sound really bland I'll admit,but if there was an interview I'd spruce up the content a little bit, but you have to get a gist of where I've been up to this point. I do like to make music for fun, but let's get serious, they didn't make up the term "starving artist" for no reason.

Maybe a better question I should ask of everyone is, how they came to choose dentistry, and what skills did they have that made them feel the profession would apply to them?